Wheelchair fraudster could have netted £1m

A "cynical" conman was jailed today after claiming he was left wheelchair-bound by an accident in an insurance fraud which could have netted more than £1million.

Tony Bailey, 31, claimed he slipped while working at a mushroom farm, hurting his back and banging his head.

Over the course of three years he attempted to con insurers that he was confined to a wheelchair - but he was caught on video going on caravan holidays and walking to the shops.

Bailey, of Steppes Meadow, Martock, Somerset, admitted conspiracy to defraud and was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

The case was described by one investigator as "the worst and most blatant insurance compensation fraud" he had come across, Taunton Crown Court heard.

Bailey claimed he was injured when he slipped at Fiddleford Mushrooms Limited in Sturminster Newton, Dorset, in April 2002. There were no witnesses to the incident, but details were entered in the firm's accident book.

He filed a personal injuries claim and the firm's insurer, NFU Mutual, began an investigation.

Prosecutor Nigel Askham said Bailey claimed he was unable to walk and was incontinent as a result of the injuries he received.

Bailey lied to doctors and his own solicitors about his injuries, and got his partner Samantha Beckey, 26, to back up his claims and push him around in a wheelchair.

The court heard that lawyers acting for NFU Mutual became suspicious because of problems with the medical evidence and hired investigators to keep Bailey under video surveillance.

Mr Askham said: "What the video did not show was the subject displaying any of the symptoms.

"He was seen walking outside to deposit rubbish, driving to the supermarket and walking a significant distance through the town of Yeovil."

On another occasion, the court heard, Bailey told his solicitors he was going into respite care when in fact he was filmed putting up an awning and enjoying himself on a caravan holiday in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.

Mr Askham said the video was shown to one of the specialist doctors who examined Bailey.

He said: "The doctor concluded that the footage was completely inconsistent with the account given by Bailey and Beckey. He concluded that malingering was the most likely cause of his symptoms."

Payout

The court heard Michael Bradley, claims superintendent for NFU Mutual, say the case could have led to a £1million payout.

He said: "I have dealt with many serious personal injury claims. Similar genuine claims have cost more than £1 million each.

"In my professional opinion, this is the worst and most blatant insurance compensation fraud I have ever come across."

Lawrence Wilcox, for Bailey, told the court the claim had started out genuinely.

He said: "There was a genuine accident and some injury was caused leading to a temporary loss of mobility. He started the personal injury claim in good faith."

He said: "Fraud such as this strikes at the very heart of the administration of civil justice.

"Dealing with personal injury claims depends on the honesty of the claimant, and to put into effect a fraud such as this is a cynical use of other people's genuine disabilities to obtain a large sum of compensation."

Beckey also admitted conspiracy to defraud and was given a two-year prison term, suspended for two years.

The judge said she had been put under pressure and had acted out of "misplaced loyalty".